Sous Vide Prime Rib with Au Jus

Name: Sous Vide Prime Rib with Au Jus
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1400 min
Total time: 1430 min
Ingredients: 5.5 lb bone in prime rib; 1 tbsp Kosher Salt; 1 tsp Freshly ground black Pepper; 8 oz Garlic herb butter; 1/2 cup Red wine; 2 tbsp Flour; 2 cups Beef bone broth; 1 tbsp Girl Carnivore Ooomami powder; 2 tbsp reserved butter from sous vide prime rib.; 1/2 tsp Rosemary (dried); 1 tsp Flakey Salt; 1 tsp Fresh parsley (minced)

This Sous Vide Prime Rib is the king of masterfully cooked bone-in prime rib. Coated in garlic butter, cooked to a perfect medium rare, and served with heavenly au jus, it’s the perfect show-stopping feast for the holiday season or any special occasion!

Overhead shot of prime rib sliced on a cutting board with jus and sauce in bowls near by.

Out of all the prime rib recipes, the sous vide water bath takes the cake as the best way to cook a prime rib if you want an even cook edge to edge! You end up with such succulent, tender meat, flavored to perfection. Making it perfect for holiday dinners like Christmas Eve and other special occasions.

Want to impress your family and friends with your glorious cooking skills? We are showing you how to master the art of this Sous Vide Prime Rib recipe.

It’s a cooking method that allows for perfectly cooked roasts, steaks, and pretty much anything you want, through the art of a heated water bath. Sous vide is the method used by chefs around the globe to constantly deliver perfectly cooked dishes, especially when feeding a lot of people.

Dish out thick juicy medium rare cuts of this melt-in-your-mouth prime rib alongside your favorite side dishes. Serve this Sous Vide Prime Rib at your next holiday feast—there will be no shortage of compliments to the chef.

Why You’ll Love Sous Vide Prime Rib

Edge-to-edge medium rare slices (or, since it’s cooked with the sous vide method, you can cook to your desired temp no matter what that is)!
The combination of perfectly cooked, tender roast beef that melts in your mouth and the rich, flavorful au jus is a match made in heaven.
Plus, this recipe is so easy to make!

Even if you lack cooking experience, simply gather your ingredients and follow our instructions below, and you’ll end up with a dish suitable for any upscale restaurant.

If you prefer more of a smoky flavor, you can opt for our Smoked Prime Rib instead! Don’t have a smoker? That’s ok, we also can show you how to smoke prime rib on a gas grill!

Over head close up shot of sliced prime rib.

What is Sous Vide Prime Rib

Sous Vide Prime Rib gets its name from the cooking process.

With the Sous Vide method, you take your prime rib, vacuum seal it in a bag, and immerse it in warm water. Essentially the prime rib is cooked with the sous vide process (literally, under vacuum) at a low temperature, that you program with the sous vide machine, for an extended period. The water bath maintains an even temperature as it circulates around the food. This flawlessly accomplishes a succulent, tender cut of meat that is evenly cooked.

Unlike with boiling meat, where hot water would permeate the meat cooking it quickly, but also rapidly removing juices and flavor, the even low temperature of the water bath with sous vide gently cooks foods to a perfect temp and consistency. Ideally, you set the temperature of the water bath to exactly what internal temperature you want your served dish to be.

The best part is because it’s cooked this way, the internal temperature is even from edge to edge! One side will not be more cooked than the other, every slice will be identical. It’s science, but also possibly, the easiest way to cook large roasts! Your guests will be amazed.

However, because the rib roast is cooked in a water bath, it isn’t pretty to look at. Don’t skip the browning step at the end to give the exterior of the sous vide meat a beautiful texture and color that will have everyone ready to dive in!

How to Make Sous Vide Prime Rib

If this is your first time trying this prime rib roast recipe, you should know sous vide cooking is not for those busy weeknights when you need something quick to toss onto the table! Well, at least not on the night you’re planning to serve it.

Although this is an easy recipe, and anyone can make it, you will need a surplus of time. Your prime rib will cook at a low temperature for an extended period, in this case, 20-23 hours.

Luckily while it remains in the sous vide bath, you don’t have to do anything except check to ensure the vacuum seal bag remains tightly sealed.

Sous Vide Prime Rib Ingredients

For the Garlic Butter Prime Rib

Bone-In Prime Rib
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Herb Butter

For the Prime Rib Au Jus

Red Wine
Flour
Beef Bone Broth or beef stock
Girl Carnivore Ooomami Powder (our hearty, rich umami seasoning perfect for ribeye)
Butter (from sous vide prime rib)
Rosemary (dried rosemary is best)

To Serve

Flakey Salt
Minced Parsley

Sous Vide Prime Rib Instructions

Prep the Prime Rib

The first thing you want to do is set the sous vide temperature to 130 degrees F according to the manufacturer’s direction for your machine.

Next, you want to trim the excess fat off the prime rib and season it liberally with salt and pepper. You can do this step up to 24 hours ahead, but a minimum of at least one hour.

When the water bath is ready, rub your butter all over the outside and place it in a food-safe ziplock bag or vacuum bag. If you are using a vacuum sealer, carefully seal the bag. If not, gently remove as much air as possible from the plastic bag.

Sous Vide the Beef

Gently place the prime rib into the water bath to submerge. If you don’t use a vacuum-sealed bag, make sure to remove additional air as best you can from one corner of the bag, and avoid allowing the seal to go below the water. Next, simply allow the whole roast to sous vide for 20-23 hours.

Brown the roast

Once your prime rib is done taking its bath, preheat the broiler and arrange the rack in the oven to the second-highest slot. You’ll want to carefully remove your entire roast from the water bath and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before handling.

Next, open the bag, and drain the butter and juices (the sous vide cooking liquid) into a small saucepan over low heat—we will return to this later. As it slowly simmers, the butter will separate, allowing you to skim off what you need.

Pat the prime rib dry with paper towels and place in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan, bones down, fat side up.

Now you’re ready to place the pan into the oven and broil for 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure to flip the meat to ensure all sides spend a few minutes under the direct heat of the broiler.

Lastly, remove from the oven and transfer the prime rib to a cutting board to rest while you make the au jus.

Make the Prime Rib Au Jus

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the reserved butter until just beginning to bubble over low heat.

In the same cast iron skillet, you broiled the standing rib; deglaze the pan with red wine. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits. Then whisk in the flour and form a roux.

Slowly add the beef broth a little at a time to thin out the roux.

Whisk in the Ooomami umami powder, 2 tablespoons of butter broth from the simmering pot, and rosemary. Allow your mixture to simmer for 5-10 minutes before you season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

How to Serve the Prime Rib

For serving, spoon a few tablespoons of your prime rib au jus over the top of the resting prime rib.

With a sharp knife, slice the prime rib from the bones and then into individual portions of medium-rare perfection, about ½” thick slices.

And serve with the butter drizzled onto a plate, then top with a slide of prime rib and desired sides. Serve with individual ramekins of the au jus for dipping.

Voila! You have the perfect prime rib roast! Garnish the sliced prime rib with salt and minced parsley.

Side shot of sliced prime rib cooked to 130 degrees F, with a pink meat from edge to edge.

Expert Tips

This recipe is really easy, but it doesn’t look that way. Don’t let it intimidate you.

We recommend using vacuum seal bags and a food sealer to get a really good seal any time you freeze meat or are going to sous vide it. This helps mitigate water getting in and ruining the meat.
Altho you leave this recipe for a day while it’s in the bath, check on it frequently. Make sure it remains submerged, and the bag is still sealed!
Giving the roast a sear at the end is a step that can not be skipped. The meat right out of the water bath doesn’t look appealing at all, so whether you use a broiler or a hot cast iron skillet, you need it for that beautiful crust.

Storage

If stored properly, the leftover prime rib can last up to 5 days in your refrigerator. Store prime rib in an airtight container or tightly in plastic wrap.

If you plan on storing your prime rib long-term, you can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to allow the prime rib to cool after cooking, but not longer than 2 hours. You want to avoid storing prime rib that has reached room temperature.

Reheating/Leftovers

Prime rib leftovers are perfect for sandwiches, stir-fries, scrambles, and omelets. To reheat, place each slice of prime rib in a pan or baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Add a splash of au jus and place in the oven at 250F for about 20 minutes. Or until it’s ready to enjoy. Depending on the thickness of your slices, it could take 30-40 minutes. So adjust as needed.

What to Serve With Sous Vide Prime Rib

Turn this prime rib into the ultimate hearty meal by serving it with:

Roasted veggies
Mashed potatoes
Easy Smoked Baked Potato or Domino Potatoes
Sauteed green beans
Smoked brussels sprouts
Smoked Mushrooms

And for wine, a smooth Pinot Noir.

Overhead close up of sliced prime rib with au jus.

FAQs

Should I season prime rib the night before?

Ideally, you want to season your prime rib 24 hours to 1 hour (minimum) before cooking. Season liberally with salt and allow the prime rib roast to sit on a wire rack over a baking sheet in the fridge.

Is prime rib the same as rib roast?

Prime rib is pretty well known as just that, but it also goes by standing rib roast or just ‘rib roast.’ So when you’re at your local grocery store or butcher, they will know what you mean if you mention any of the above names.
Wait until near the major winter holidays to find it on sale! Right before Christmas and New Year’s Eve are typically the best time to buy them at a good price.

Can you cook a frozen prime rib in the sous vide?

Yes. You can. Follow the directions for coating the rib roast in butter, vacuum sealing, and sous vide method for a 23-hour cook directly from frozen.
We tested a frozen prime rib that was already trimmed of fat for this recipe. If you are cooking directly from frozen, you may need to add more salt before browning the meat and when serving for a little added flavor.

Prime rib sous vide makes for a delicious meal. It’s the perfect centerpiece for your Christmas dinner table. Glazed with garlic butter, slow-roasted, and topped with fresh herbs and a delightful prime rib au jus, you won’t be able to get enough! Instead of ham this holiday season, try this sous vide prime rib roast—you won’t be disappointed! If you gave this recipe a go, let me know how it turned out in the comments!